Editing Doolittle Raid (section)

== Mission ==
[[File:USS Hornet flight deck April 1942.jpg|thumb|B-25Bs on USS ''Hornet'' en route to Japan]]
On 1 April 1942, the 16 modified bombers, their five-man crews, and Army maintenance personnel, totaling 71 officers and 130 enlisted men,{{refn|group=note |Doolittle took along all 22 flight crews, both to provide spare flight personnel and as an additional security measure.{{sfn|Glines|1988|p=45}} Lawson wrote that the copilot of one crew (Farrow's) was replaced on 17 April, the day before the mission, by one of the spare pilots.{{sfn|Lawson|2002|pp=58, 208}}}}{{sfn|Craven|Cate|1983|p=440}}{{sfn|Glines|1988|p=45}} were loaded onto ''Hornet'' at Naval Air Station Alameda in [[California]]. Each aircraft carried four specially constructed 500-pound (225&nbsp;kg) bombs. Three of these were high-explosive munitions and one was a bundle of incendiaries. The incendiaries were long tubes, wrapped together to be carried in the [[bomb bay]], but designed to separate and scatter over a wide area after release. Five bombs had Japanese "friendship" medals wired to them—medals awarded by the Japanese government to U.S. servicemen before the war.{{sfn|Coletta|1993|pp=73–86}}

The bombers' armament was reduced to increase range by decreasing weight. Each bomber launched with two [[.50-caliber machine gun|.50-caliber (12.7 mm) machine guns]] in an upper turret and a [[Light machine gun|.30-caliber (7.62 mm) machine gun]] in the nose. The aircraft were clustered closely and tied down on ''Hornet''{{'}}s flight deck in the order of launch.

''Hornet'' and Task Force 18 got underway from San Francisco Bay at 08:48 on 2 April with the 16 bombers in clear view.{{sfn|Glines|1988|p=50}} At noon the next day, parts to complete modifications that had not been finished at McClellan were lowered to the forward deck of ''Hornet'' by [[L-class blimp|Navy blimp ''L-8'']].{{sfn|Glines|1988|p=52}} A few days later, the carrier met with [[Task Force 16]], commanded by [[Vice Admiral (United States)|Vice Admiral]] [[William Halsey Jr.]]—the carrier {{USS|Enterprise|CV-6|6}} and her escort of [[cruiser]]s and [[destroyer]]s in the mid-Pacific Ocean north of Hawaii. ''Enterprise''{{'}}s fighters and scout planes provided protection for the entire task force in the event of a Japanese air attack, since ''Hornet''{{'}}s fighters were stowed below decks to allow the B-25s to use the flight deck.

The combined force was two carriers (''Hornet'' and ''Enterprise''), three heavy cruisers ({{USS|Salt Lake City|CA-25|2}}, {{USS|Northampton|CA-26|2}}, {{USS|Vincennes|CA-44|2}}), one light cruiser ({{USS|Nashville|CL-43|2}}), eight destroyers ({{USS|Balch|DD-363|2}}, {{USS|Fanning|DD-385|2}}, {{USS|Benham|DD-397|2}}, {{USS|Ellet|DD-398|2}}, {{USS|Gwin|DD-433|2}}, {{USS|Meredith|DD-434|2}}, {{USS|Grayson|DD-435|2}}, {{USS|Monssen|DD-436|2}}), and two fleet oilers ({{USS|Cimarron|AO-22|2}} and {{USS|Sabine|AO-25|2}}). The ships proceeded in radio silence. On the afternoon of 17 April, the slow oilers refueled the task force, then withdrew with the destroyers to the east while the carriers and cruisers dashed west at {{convert|20|kn|lk=in|abbr=out}} toward their intended launch point in enemy-controlled waters east of Japan.{{sfn|Glines|1988|p=63}}
[[File:Marc A. Mitscher and James Doolittle.jpg|left|thumb|Orders in hand, Navy Captain [[Marc Mitscher]], skipper of USS ''Hornet'', chats with Lt. Col. James Doolittle.]]

At 07:38 on the morning of 18 April, while the task force was still about {{convert|650|nmi|sigfig=2}} from Japan (around {{coord|35|N|154|E}}), it was sighted by the Japanese [[picket boat]] No. 23'' Nittō Maru'', a 70-ton patrol craft, which radioed an attack warning to Japan.{{sfn|Chun|2006|p=45}} The boat was sunk by gunfire from ''Nashville''.{{refn|group=note |The order to ''Nashville'' did not go out until 07:52. Heavy seas made hitting the picket boat difficult even with rapid fire, and it was not sunk until 08:23.{{sfn|Glines|1988|p=7013}}}} The chief petty officer who captained the boat killed himself rather than be captured, but five of the 11 crew were picked up by ''Nashville''.{{sfn|Glines|1988|p=71}}

Doolittle and ''Hornet'' skipper Captain [[Marc Mitscher]] decided to launch the B-25s immediately—10 hours early and {{convert|170|nmi|sigfig=2}} farther from Japan than planned.{{refn|group=note |Doolittle, first off, was {{convert|610|nmi|sigfig=3}} from Tokyo at launch, while Farrow, last off, was {{convert|600|nmi|sigfig=3}} from landfall.{{sfn|Glines|1988|p=71}}}} After respotting to allow for engine start and runups, Doolittle's aircraft had {{convert|467|ft|m|0}} of takeoff distance.{{sfn|Craven|Cate|1983|p=442}} Although none of the B-25 pilots, including Doolittle, had ever taken off from a carrier before, all 16 aircraft launched safely between 08:20 and 09:19, though Doolittle's bomber was witnessed to have almost hit the water before pulling up at the last second. The B-25s then flew toward Japan, most in groups of two to four aircraft, before flying singly at wave-top level to avoid detection.{{sfn|Watson|1950|p=20}}

The aircraft began arriving over Japan about noon Tokyo time, six hours after launch, climbed to {{convert|1500|ft|m}} and bombed 10 military and industrial targets in Tokyo, two in [[Yokohama]], and one each in [[Yokosuka]], [[Nagoya]], [[Kobe]], and [[Osaka]]. Although some B-25s encountered light antiaircraft fire and a few enemy fighters (made up of [[Ki-45]]s and prototype [[Ki-61]]s, the latter being mistaken for [[Messerschmitt Bf 109|Bf 109]]s) over Japan, no bomber was shot down. Only the B-25 of 1st Lt. Richard O. Joyce received any battle damage, minor hits from antiaircraft fire.{{sfn|Craven|Cate|1983|p=442}} B-25 No. 4, piloted by 1st Lt. Everett W. Holstrom, jettisoned its bombs before reaching its target when it came under attack by fighters after its gun turret malfunctioned.{{sfn|Glines|1988|p=94}}

The Americans claimed to have shot down three Japanese fighters—one by the gunners of the ''Whirling Dervish'', piloted by 1st Lt. Harold Watson, and two by the gunners of the ''Hari Kari-er'', piloted by 1st Lt. Ross Greening. Many targets were strafed by the bombers' nose gunners. The subterfuge of the simulated gun barrels mounted in the tail cones was described afterwards by Doolittle as effective, in that no airplane was attacked directly from behind.{{sfn|Doolittle|1942}}

[[File:USS Hornet (CV-8) launching a B-25B Mitchell bomber during the Doolittle Raid on April 18, 1942.jpg|thumb|One of the Doolittle raiders launching, 18 April 1942]]

Fifteen of the 16 aircraft then proceeded southwest off the southeastern coast of Japan and across the [[East China Sea]] toward eastern China. One B-25, piloted by Captain Edward J. York, was extremely low on fuel, and headed instead for the Soviet Union rather than be forced to ditch in the middle of the East China Sea. Several fields in [[Zhejiang]] province were supposed to be ready to guide them in using homing beacons, then recover and refuel them for continuing on to Chongqing, the wartime [[Kuomintang]] capital.{{sfn|Craven|Cate|1983|p=440}} The primary base was at Zhuzhou, toward which all the aircraft navigated, but Halsey never sent the planned signal to alert them, apparently because of a possible threat to the task force.{{refn|group=note |The carburetors of the B-25s had been carefully adjusted and bench-marked at Eglin Field for maximum fuel efficiency in low level flight. Without Doolittle's knowledge and in violation of his orders, both carburetors on York's plane had been replaced by depot workers in Sacramento. The change was not discovered until the raiders were at sea, and the extra flying distance caused by the premature launch meant that the B-25 had no chance of reaching the Chinese coast. York, Doolittle's operations officer and the only West Pointer among the raiders, made decision in flight to divert to the closer USSR.}}{{sfn|Glines|1988|p=158}}

The raiders faced several unforeseen challenges during their flight to China: night was approaching, the aircraft were running low on fuel, and the weather was rapidly deteriorating. None would have reached China if not for a tail wind as they came off the target, which increased their ground speed by {{convert|25|kn|abbr=on}} for seven hours.{{sfn|Glines|1988|pp=81, 91}} The crews realized they would probably not be able to reach their intended bases in China, leaving them the option of either bailing out over eastern China or crash-landing along the Chinese coast.{{refn|group=note |Doolittle's after-action report stated that some B-25s were heard overflying the bases, but because the Chinese had not been alerted to the attack, they assumed it was a Japanese air raid.}}{{sfn|Doolittle|1942}}

All 15 aircraft reached the Chinese coast after 13 hours of flight and crash-landed or the crews [[Parachute|bailed out]]. One crewman, 20-year-old [[Corporal]] Leland D. Faktor, flight engineer/gunner with 1st Lt. Robert M. Gray, was killed during his bailout attempt over China, the only man in that crew to be lost. Two crews (10 men) were missing.

The 16th aircraft, commanded by Capt. Edward York (eighth off – AC #40-2242) flew to the Soviet Union and landed {{convert|40|mi|km}} beyond Vladivostok at [[Vozdvizhenka (air base)|Vozdvizhenka]]. As the USSR was not at war with Japan, and the [[Soviet–Japanese Neutrality Pact]] was officially in force, the Soviet government was officially unable to immediately repatriate any Allied personnel involved in hostilities who entered Soviet territory. Furthermore, at the time, the [[Soviet Far East]] was vulnerable to military action by Japanese forces. Consequently, in accordance with international law, the crew members were interned, despite official US requests for their release, and the B-25 was impounded. York would later report that he and his crew had been treated well by the Soviet authorities. Several months later, they were relocated to [[Ashgabat]] (Ashkhabad), in what was then the [[Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic]], {{convert|20|mi|km}} from the Soviet-Iranian border. In mid-1943, they were allowed to cross the border into [[Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran|Allied-occupied Iran]]. The Americans presented themselves to a British consulate on 11 May 1943.<ref name="bravemen" />{{sfn|Glines|1988|pp=166–168}} A cover story was concocted that York had bribed a smuggler to assist them in escaping from Soviet custody. The fact that the "smuggling" had been staged by the [[NKVD]] was later confirmed by declassified Soviet archives.<ref>{{cite web |last=Roshchupkin |first=Vladimir |script-title=ru:Секретная миссия подполковника Дулиттла |language=ru |trans-title=Lt. Colonel Doolittle's Secret Mission |date=12 December 2005 |website=Media portal Keeper |url=http://union.psj.ru/saver_magazins/detail.php?ID=5266 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170920092601/http://union.psj.ru/saver_magazins/detail.php?ID=5266 |archive-date=20 September 2017}}</ref>

Doolittle and his crew, after parachuting into China, received assistance from Chinese soldiers and civilians, as well as [[John Birch (missionary)|John Birch]], an American [[missionary]] in China. As did the others who participated in the mission, Doolittle had to bail out, but he landed in a heap of dung (saving a previously injured ankle from breaking) in a paddy in China near [[Quzhou]]. The mission was the longest ever flown in combat by the B-25 Mitchell medium bomber, averaging about {{convert|2250|nmi|km|sigfig=3}}.